You Get Me
by The Losing Memory
Summary: After moving halfway down the state of Georgia, Clementine must start over again. New house, new faces, and new friends. But with the death of her adoptive mother still haunting her, her father signs her up for a therapy group. Now she must face these teens and tell them her tragic backstory. It's all fun... until she meets a certain someone within the group.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: My first actual Walking Dead game fanfic. Wow. Weird.**

**HI! For those who do not know me, my name is Jenny! I'm currently 18 years old and writing my debut novel in real life. I stopped writing fanfic for a hot second but decided to pick back up, letting out ideas that I've had (and will never write in a novel), and hopes to spark inspiration for my personal projects. I wrote one one-shot for TWDG but that's about it. Normally, I write Life is Strange works and such.**

**I've been a huge fan of TWDG for a while now. It wasn't until season 4 where I was like; "You know what? Why the hell not?!" and decided to put pen to paper... well, fingers to keys, and try writing for this fandom. Though I do ship both ClemXViolet and ClemXLouis, I'm more of a Clouis shipper. Sorry :/**

**With that being said, this story will be a Clouis friendship/romance story! It'll be in a different universe, so sorry if you're not into that stuff either. It'll be in a world where everything didn't go to shit. Well, as shitty. Lee is Clem & AJ's adoptive father and Ericson is a regular old high school in Macon. I'm not going to give to much of the plot away, but it'll be typical high school bullshit. Friends, enemies, dances, etc. I'm also aging up a few characters to my liking. Especially the teens/kids Clem ran into in earlier seasons (such as Sarah and Duck) who'll be around her age in season 4. According to Wiki, AJ is about five. But, I want him to be eight, around season 1 Clementine's age.**

**But... I need to warn you guys. Especially the people who don't get actual warning tags compared to the AO3 community.**

**This story will touch on a lot of topics. Especially mental illness. This includes anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and anger management issues. This story will include self-harm, suicide attempts, and violence. This won't be your cute little high school love story, even though I did say "typical high school bullshit" earlier. It'll also be a story of forgiveness and self-acceptance.**

**If you're okay with all of that, I hope you enjoy! :)**

* * *

Mother-fucking-Macon.

That's all I could think of whenever my adoptive-father, Lee, smiled up at a two story house. This was apparently his childhood home. My grandparents used to live here before they passed away. My dad was in college in Atlanta and he couldn't afford to keep the house. Neither could my uncle which resulted in both of them selling it.

Now, here we are with a truck full of our shit, on the doorstep of memories.

I held a box that was destined to go into my new room up to my chest, glaring at the empty house. We lived in a small town in northern Georgia, close to Alabama, but he was offered a better job with a higher pay. I don't blame him; he didn't get paid much at my old school. He's excited, though. Who could blame him? He gets to be a college professor and live in his old childhood home. It's a nostalgia trip and dream come true. He was practically killing two birds with one stone.

My little brother AJ, stood beside me. He's in third grade. His little dark brown afro bounced as he jumped in excitement, happy to stay at this house. I must admit, it'll be pretty cool to take over my dad or uncle's old room. But, I sure as hell missed my old friends. All I ever known was that little town of six-thousand people. It sounds like a lot, maybe. But compared to Macon's population of apparently one thousand and fifty-ish people, I think we know which one is bigger.

"Come on sweetpea," my dad grinned, "a fresh start is always a good thing!"

"Not always."

He sighed, "We talked about this."

"Talking doesn't solve everything."

"It can, though."

I rolled my eyes before walking up the few stairs that were made of brick. I placed the cardboard box onto my left arm as I used my right hand to turn the knob. The old door creaked open before I was forced to use my sneaker to open the rest of the way. I was welcomed with a staircase in a little hallway. Two rooms with large archways welcomed the left and right of me, both empty. In the left room was another archway, which lead into the kitchen. From the right of the staircase, through the other empty room, lead into another one which had an archway too. Both the kitchen and empty space connected together, forming what I could assume was a kitchen and living room combo. I grumbled to myself as I pictured our family hauling furniture around, filling the empty spaces of the house. Especially the upstairs, which I wasn't looking forward to at all. Pushing a mattress up a flight of stairs isn't easy!

"I call dibs!" My little brother yelled as he pushed passed me, racing up the stairs. I gasped as his little body hit the side of my leg, causing me to stumble a bit. He laughed as he grabbed a hold of the wooden railing, skipping stairs as he ran. His little excited voice bounced off the walls. as I watched his untied shoes go around the corner, excited to explore the new rooms and claim one.

"Sounds like a competition." My dad teased, smirking down at me.

"Whats the prize?"

My dad paused before glancing between me and the staircase, "A new... room?"

"And...?"

"Hmm..." He rested a few fingers on his chin as his brows came together. He pretended to think hard about the situation before tapping his foot against the carpet. Finally, he snapped his fingers with a smile, "Whoever claims my old bedroom gets to choose what we have for dinner."

"I'll have one extra large pepperoni pizza, please." I laughed, "Deal's on." I began to haul the box up the carpeted stairs before I saw my little brother burst into one of the rooms. He looked around with a large gasp escaping his little lips. As the room came into view, I saw a huge rounded window, almost blinding me due to the sun poking through. The room wasn't large enough to be considered a master bedroom. But, it was definitely a large enough room. Especially for a teen who needs a place to study. My little brother spun in a full circle, looking at every little edge of the room, before meeting my gaze. His smile turned into a hard frown.

"I call it." His arms crossed over his chest, "It's mine."

"Did you even check the other rooms?"

His little arms slumped to his sides, "No."

"Then how do you know there isn't a better room than this one?" AJ raised his eyebrows before walking past me, not wanting to admit that I was right. I smirked before he turned the corner and saw another series of doors. I giggled and shook my head at the little boy. Though he can be stubborn and sassy, he was still childish in a good way. I decided that for now, this was my new room. I glanced out the large slightly rounded window that had a view of the backyard. It was weird, mainly because I saw an old tree house. It looked like the one I have. Well, had. Turning around, I noticed my dad leaning against the door frame. We both smiled at each other before he glanced around the room, breaking our gaze, before sighing loudly. Taking his hands out of his distressed jeans, he made his way across the empty room with a twinkle in his eye.

"God, a lot of memories were held in here." He smiled wide, "Some good... some bad. Mainly good, though."

"I swear if you had sex-"

His booming laugh caught me off, "No! Well, almost."

"Gross." I snubbed my nose which caused him to laugh harder.

"I'm just kidding... sort of." My father winked before wrapping his arm around my shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. "No, but I used to sneak out all the time using that exact tree. That tree would actually scare me as a child. Whenever I was little, it's shadows and branches would look like a huge scary monster."

"You snuck out?"

He nodded, "Not my proudest days." He gazed out the window with a small smile, remembering anything that occurred to him years prior my existence. Shaking his head with a small chuckle, he rubbed the side of my arm. "Who knew that you'd be staying in this room later on."

"Don't hold your breath." I placed my head on his shoulder, "AJ already called dibs on it."

"Well, in that case, who knew that he'd be staying in this room." Just then, my little brother came around the corner, almost on cue. My father's arm dropped as our attention focused on the little child. AJ bounced up and down in excitement, clearly overjoyed by exploring the house. His little grin grew wider as his slightly crooked teeth were exposed, shining as the sun from the bedroom window shined on them and his eyes, which sparkled with happiness.

"The other room has a green dinosaur drawn on it! I want that one!" He raised his hands into fists, clenching them against his chest, as he jumped higher. AJ's favorite color was green. Most of his old bedroom was nothing but green. His old theme revolved around green race cars with occasional super heroes here and there. Now, I guess it will be dinosaurs. "Can I please, please, _please_ have that one?! Please?!"

My father turned towards me with a smirk, "I guess we're having pizza tonight."


	2. Chapter 2

The large brick building stared down at me, glaring into my soul, while I glared back. My father was already at the main doors of the school, waiting for me to follow him. Instead, I wanted to runaway and never look back. With a reassuring smile, he creaked the door open slowly. I huffed before walking into the building, him following behind me. We entered the main lobby of the school before turning left, opening another door, and entering the main office. A young woman welcomed us.

"Hello!" She beamed, "You must be Clementine, right?"

I shrugged.

"She means yes." My fathers hands made contact with my shoulders before rubbing them slightly, trying to soothe me. If anything, it annoyed me more. "We have a meeting with Principal Dickens, too."

"Oh, right!" She laughed before jumping up and spinning around, poking her head into a room and whispering something, before giving us a large smile. "He's ready for you now. Welcome to Ericson High School!" The woman held out her hand to me as her teeth exposed, trying to be friendly. I continued walking past her and went into the older mans office. From the corner of my eye, I saw the woman's smile dim before forcing another one, seeing my dad was kind enough to take her gentle hand.

My father was always the goody-two-shoes. He always tried to please everyone and make people smile, no matter what. I used to like it whenever I was younger. But, I just find it annoying. There's no way you can always be that happy and friendly. My father caught up to me and we stood in the doorway of the principal. Principal Dickens looked just like his last name. A huge, over-weight guy, who had a large smug expression on his face. A pair of bifocals rested on the tip of his long crow-like nose as his eyes glared down at a series of documents. The old man raised his head with a scowl spreading across his face.

"Come in." We both hurried inside and sat on the pair of old leather chairs. The older man lowered his glasses and they rested around his neck, a chain connecting them, as he glanced back and forth between us. He lifted his pen and gestured towards me, "You're Clementine Everett, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"That means you must be Lee Everett, correct?"

"Yeah!" My father beamed before extending his hand outwards, "Pleasure to meet you."

Principal Dickens glared down at his hand before meeting his eyes once more, "Your family used to own the local drugstore in the nineties, right?"

"Yes."

He chuckled, which I didn't think was possible, before coughing a few times. "I used to get my heart medicine from there. Once the place shut down, I was forced to pay full price at another drugstore." The both of us didn't say anything. Why was he just now bringing this up? Why did it matter, about twenty years later? My father's smile dimmed slightly as he turned towards me.

"So, about Clementine."

"She can start today, if she'd like."

For the love of God please say-

"She'd love to!" Fuck! I forced a fake smile at the both of them while biting the inside of my cheek. The older man who was in charge forced a fake smile back before quickly removing it, scanning over his desk. With a few grumbles, he lifted the a sheet of paper up and handed it over to me. He handed another one to my father and sighed deeply.

"Whenever you called a few weeks ago, Mr. Everett, you mentioned that Clementine isn't over the death of your wife." My eyes snapped from the paper that held the names of classes and teachers up to the older man. What the fuck does he mean?! The man scratched his rounded chin before sliding it down to his double chin, glancing over at me, before meeting my father's gaze once more. "The counselors at our school thought it'd be best if Clem joined-"

"Clementine." I snapped.

"Clementine..." he trailed off before picking it back up, "...joined a therapy group. It's not specific on what it'll talk about. It's just for students to vent and connect, letting off steam about issues that bother them. Weither it be school, home, or mental related."

"I think she'd benefit from that." My father beamed before looking down at the paper he was handed, "Is that what this is?"

"Yes, sir." My father laid the paper out on the man's desk, skimming over it, before signing on a dashed line. He slid it over to me where I frowned, my brows knitting together, as I glared at the paper. They think I need help? Seriously?! Yeah, mom's car-crash still gets to me now and then, but I know it affects dad too. I don't need any fixing or venting to solve my problems. I had none! I was perfectly fine without any help.

"I don't need this."

My father sighed, "You and I both know that you think about mom often."

"You do, too."

"Not as much. It's been five years, Clem. You still act as if it happened yesterday."

"Just because I grieve different-"

"There's nothing to grieve anymore." He protested with a large frown. His large brown eyes, which would normally light up a room, had turned the complete opposite. He was genuinely worried about me. Sure, I do mention her a bit, especially whenever he does something that reminds me of her. But that doesn't mean I'm not over her. It just means that I think about her a lot. Once in a blue moon, I do cry over everything. I remember her funeral, my dad bending down to tell me, and me screaming into his arms as he packed away some of her stuff. I would sit in my bed, knees up to my chest as her face came into my mind. But that doesn't automatically mean I need help.

"No, I refuse!" I crossed my arms across my chest and the Principal rolled his eyes, leaning back in his chair.

"Clementine, we can talk about this later." My father lowered his voice into a whisper, "Just try one session. Okay?" His brown eyes had shifted once more. They were no longer sad. At least, not completely. They looked like a desperate cry for help. It felt like as if he was doing this for himself, too. In that case, he should switch places with me and take up this opportunity. My stern scowl faded as he nodded his head, wanting me to agree with him. I sighed and nodded back, facing the Principal who glared at the both of us. He hated us wasting his time.

I took the pen he had and signed my name.

"Great, I'll call someone up to help you around."

**{-}**

"Hi, my name is Sarah!" A girl with short black hair and purple glasses welcomed me. She wore nothing but blue with a pair of white sneakers. But, on the ankle, it showed a little cat. She had a few different colored hair clips in her hair as she smiled widely, showing her silver braces. "What's your name?! Oh, let me guess! Uhhh... Alyssa?!"

"No."

"Bridgette?"

"No."

"Piper? You're definitely a Piper!"

"No!" I shouted on the last one which caused her to stop. "My name's Clementine."

"Oh! Like the song, right?" She smiled widely before ripping the paper out of my hands. The paper slid across my olive complected skin, making me wince in pain, as it almost formed a paper cut. Sarah didn't notice as she adjusted her large purple glasses, skimming over the paper, a huge smile on her face. "We have gym and history together! History is so fun and you'll love the teacher. Gym, on the other hand, can be a bit hard."

Oh, joy.

Sarah continued, "It's fun helping out a new student! Mainly because I get to skip a class to help them out. Have you ever helped a student out before?! Where'd you come from? Am I asking too many question?" My anxiety began to rise as she talked faster and faster, her voice pitch growing higher in the process. She noticed my silence and her cheeks grew red, stammering over her words as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry! When I'm excited, I talk too much."

"It's fine."

"But seriously, where are you from?"

I slid my hands into the pockets of my denim jacket, "Small town named Prescott. It's near the Alabama state line."

Sarah gasped, "Alabama! Isn't that where Forrest Gump is from?"

"Yeah," I smirked, "But I said the state line. Not the state, itself."

"Oh, right." The excited girl blushed before turning her attention back to the slip of paper I was given. "We have history first." With that, she began to speed walk away from me. I took my hands out of my pocket and straightened the leather bag that clung onto my shoulder. Sarah continued down a long hallway, skimming over my other classes and mumbling to herself. I wasn't able to make any of it out nor did I want to. "So, Mr. Parker is a pretty chill guy! He lets you call him by his first name, which is Luke. He never gives out homework."

"Sounds like a lazy teacher."

"Nope! I mean, he does give out work and tests. But, he always makes them short and to the point." Sarah turned down a side hallway and stopped in front of a door that was on the right side of the tiny hall. "He wants you to actually learn the facts, not everything in-between."

Sarah opened the door to the room. The smell of old books and cinnamon filled my nostrils as I entered the room, directly behind her. At the front of the room was a young man, early to mid thirties, teaching his class. Even though he made himself loud enough, his voice was smooth, almost like honey. His brown hair went to the end of his jaw where it waved around, strands falling in front of his brown eyes which matched his bushy eyebrows. A thin smile was on his face as he slapped a ruler against the board, pointing to someone from history. Sarah shyly made her way towards the front, standing off to the side, not wanting to interrupt the young man's lecture.

As we inched closer to him, some of the students noticed our presence. Well, at least mine. They glanced over at me before back to the teacher, and back at me, trying to silently alert the teacher about me. But, he continued on, passionate about his lesson. I held my left wrist with my right fingers, trying to stop myself from fidgeting and potentially making myself look like a fool.

"Mr. Parker?" One student in the back interrupted.

"Luke, please." He snickered, "We went over this-"

"You have a visitor."

Mr. Parker - or as the kids call him, Luke - turned his head towards Sarah and I. Sarah beamed and gave him a gentle wave. The man who once had his button-up shirt tucked into his pants was out of breath. Moments before, he was yelling at the board with a grin on his face, trying to get his students passionate like him. Instead, it looked as if he ran a marathon without slowing down at any time. Luke smirked as he pinched the bridge of his nose, slightly embarrassed at himself for getting carried away and not noticing us.

"My apologizes." Luke snickered at us, "Clementine, is it? I got an email yesterday stating you'll be joining my class."

"Yeah."

"Can I call you Clem?" Before he could let me answer, he extended out his hand with a large smile spreading across his face. "Welcome to History, Clem! I'm Mr. Parker but I prefer to go by Luke. I know it's informal and all, but I figure since I'm allowed to call you by your first names, you can do it back." I nodded at him before extending mine. His rough hand met mine. The warmth of his hand made mine warm up. He shook my hand a few times, almost crushing the bones that were locked inside, before looking around the class. "There's an empty seat back there, if you'd like."

Luke motioned towards the back right of the room. Up near the top right was where his desk was. All the students turned back and looked at the empty seat before turning back to me, waiting for my answer.

"Oh! She'll be sitting next to me!" Sarah exclaimed before latching her hand onto my shoulder, "Can you please sit next to me?"

"Do I have much of a choice?" Luke, Sarah, and I glanced around the room and noticed it was the only seat open. He shook his head and smiled. I suppressed a sigh and began to walk towards the back of the room, trying my best to avoid any glances, and sat in the once empty seat. Sarah was right behind me and sat on my left while some other girl sat on my right. She had very pale skin, blue eyes, and short blonde hair. She wore a long black sleeved shirt with a dark grey one over top, a little vest over the top of that one (which was decorated in buttons and chains), grey ripped jeans, and worn out sneakers.

The girl tapped her pencil against her notebook before glancing over to me. I noticed her staring and turned my head, trying to meet her eyes, but she quickly turned away. A slight blush grew on her cheeks as she shifted her body weight towards her right, completely ignoring me. Sarah took out a textbook and a notebook. On the notebook's cover was nothing but positive quotes which surrounded a fluffy cat. In another pouch of her bag was nothing but pens and pencils. Gel pens, sparkly pens, the pens with a weird fluffy poof on top, mechanical pencils, sparkly pencils, pencils with weird printed patterns which would rip off whenever you'd sharpen it, and regular ones too.

I knew who to contact if I needed something to write with.

"That's Violet," Sarah whispered into my ear, "she's pretty weird and shy but still pretty nice under all that gunk."

"Fuck off."

"Sometimes." Sarah's smile dimmed as Violet glared at her, flashing her the bird, and making sure Luke didn't notice them. Violet turned her head slightly and smirked at me. She found it amusing that Sarah looks up to her yet is still scared. The vulgar teen returned back to her notebook. While the short-haired blonde did write a few sentences down that portrayed the lesson, she mainly doodled. She drew a rough sketch of Luke in front of his class, looking like a mad man who's trying to solve a case. Honestly, she wasn't far off. Sarah tapped me on the shoulder once more and motioned towards the front left of the room. A student sat in the seat, half asleep, desperately trying to tune into the lesson. "That guy in the beanie? Yeah, that's Gabe."

"Do you like him or something?"

"No!" Sarah snapped, "Gross! I'm friends with his little sister - she's still in middle school - and he's like a brother to me." Sarah crinkled up her nose, causing her glasses to dig into the empty space that separated her eyebrows, causing a slight dent. The young girl picked up a pink gel pen and began to write what the teacher had scribbled onto the board. She turned towards me once more; "He's a good guy, too."

"Will he also tell us to fuck off?" Violet overheard and let out a breathless chuckle. We turned our attention to the girl who smirked lightly, shaking her head, and resumed drawing. Violet bit her bottom lip as she began to shade her little sketch.

"He has his moments."

I rolled my eyes, "Don't we all?"

* * *

**AN: I know. Two chapters close together. I was just excited to update and such. But, I'll start updating once or twice a week now. Build up more words and hopefully edit them better. It'll be a little while before Clementine meets Louis and such. I want the first five-ish chapters to be about her getting settled into the school, forming friendships, and trying to adjust to her new home. Normally, I jump right into the action like my other stories. But I want this fanfic to be pretty long and decently paced. Hope you understand! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

"Put your back into it!" Someone yelled behind me. Several students ran past me, circling the indoor track the school had, which was right above the gym. Due to not knowing I'd had gym today, I wasn't dressed properly. Everyone seemed to wear either a school-spirit outfit or regular workout clothes. Sarah sprinted past me in a pair of black shorts and green shirt, displaying the schools logo. She quickly rounded the corner, passing some of the athletic boys. But, they didn't act surprised. Everyone seemed used to it. I decided to walk the laps instead of running or jogging, which everyone else was doing.

On the opposite side of the indoor track was the physical education teacher. He stood proud and tall, writing down on his clipboard, as he glanced at his watch every few seconds. This couch was actually pretty cool. He hooked the speakers up to his phone, letting us listen to music. Some of it was stuff that was newer, but most of it was what you'd listen to at school dances. From "Crank That" by Soulja Boy to the "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO, I felt like I should be on the dance floor.

Not that I actually would, though.

I shoved my hands in my jacket and continued to walk around the track, trying to avoid the gazes of students wondering who I was. I flashed a few people smiles but they continued to stare, not processing my simple greeting. My feet moved to the beat of one of the songs the teacher had put on, making me feel like I was about to break out into some bad-ass dance move. But, instead of doing that, I was pulled out of my thoughts when someone ran up beside me. I expected it to be Sarah but I was slightly shocked when it was someone else.

"Hey," the person said out of breath, "you're new, right?"

I shrugged, "I think so."

"I saw you enter my history class. Luke's class, period one?"

"Yeah! Sarah said your name was Gabe, right?" I smiled at him and the teen boy nodded. The boy had a Hispanic accent that came out when he spoke certain words. The boy was a few inches taller than me but not enough where he had to look down. Sarah was taller than the both of us which forced me to raise my head slightly. Gabe wore a pair of black sweats with a grey t-shirt. Not a single sweat stain on it probably due to the laziness he has. If he falls asleep easily in class, I'm sure he's the same way in each class. Probably lunch, too.

"Did Sarah tell you that?" I nodded, "She has a habit of doing that. She's a sweet girl, though. Don't let her rambling get you down." Gabe stuffed his hands in his sweat pockets before his shoulder accidentally brushed against mine. I took a slight step over, trying to avoid it from happening, and he cleared his throat. "Well, I'm sure you've gotten this already but welcome to Ericson High School; where your worst nightmares come to life."

Just then, a blonde hair boy ran past the two of us. The teen raised his hand and smacked the back of Gabe's head, forcing his beanie to slide off, and land onto the striped ground. Gabe flinched, his shoulders jumping upwards, before closing his eyes. The teenage boy ran past him while looking over his shoulder. A smile and giggle rolled off his tongue as the girl who ran with him followed, smirking back at us. She had ginger hair and her green eyes burned into our souls.

"Watch where you're going!" Gabe shouted and squatted down, picking his hat up, and placed it back on his head. The blonde and ginger pair continued to chuckle, jogging past us, resuming their conversation. "I fuckin' hate Marlon! He acts like he owns everyone here."

"What about that girl?"

"Minnie?" Gabe lets out a breathless laugh before shaking his head, "She's worse. That bitch acts like she's all tough with her heavy makeup, chains, short hair, and other bullshit. Yet, she's still a cheerleader and cries when she doesn't get her way."

**{-}**

How many halls does this school have?! Sarah promised me she'd show me to my next class. Yet, here I was, walking the halls alone, trying to find my next class. It was technically a free period. I used to be in orchestra, playing the violin, but quit right before we moved. This school took it to themselves to sign me back up for something worse.

Choir.

I'd rather go back to playing the violin, honestly. But it couldn't be that bad. I doubt I'd have to do any solo's so my anxiety levels went down slightly. But, I'd still probably have to audition and such. Not only that, but the concerts are going to suck! Stand in front of an audience, singing songs that nobody cares about, and proud parents taking photos of everyone? I'd rather jump off a cliff than deal with that bullshit. But, it beats playing an instrument or getting another class that's worse.

From behind a set of double doors, I heard a light hum of voices. They harmonized together as a piano played distantly, keeping up with their speed. This had to be the room. I looked down at the sheet of paper, reading the room number next to the teachers name, and glanced up at the door. Yep, it was the room. Glancing back down, I read the teachers name. Their name was apparently Omid Jenkins. Omid? Oh-meed? Oh-mid? Om-ed? I mumbled the name under my breath and sighed, realizing I'm wasting more and more time.

I placed my hand on the metal handle, making my hot and sweaty palm grow cold, before pushing it open. The choir halted as I walked into the large room. Rows upon rows of chairs were scattered around, almost completely full of students. Their perfect harmony went silent as all their heads turned towards me, wondering who I was. The olive skin on my cheeks grew a dark shade of red as my eyes scanned the room. I was desperately trying to find that Omid Jenkins teacher. I was in luck when he popped up near the piano, which was sitting at the front of the room, with a large smile on his face.

"Hello!" The older man beamed, "Do you need some help?" The older man, who I assumed to be Mr. Jenkins, wore a huge smile on his face. That Luke teacher was pretty friendly but this guy seemed almost _too_ friendly. He had dark hair which was buzzed off, giving him hardly any hair left, and thick black eyebrows. Whenever he smiled, he smiled with his eyes, crowfeet forming around them. He was a short man who barely over-towered the piano next to him. As he came closer towards me, he came up towards my chin, forcing me to look down at him.

I fumbled for my schedule, "I was told that I'm taking this class." Mr. Jenkins grabbed the sheet of paper and skimmed over it. After a few seconds, he smiled before passing it back. His dark brown eyes met my golden orbs as we smiled at each other. His toothy grin reappeared which made the wrinkles around his eyes visible once again.

"You were told correct!" Mr. Jenkins beamed before turning around, "You can sit anywhere you'd like."

By that he meant the four empty chairs around the room. I nodded and grabbed the sheet of paper back, stuffing it into my bag, and sitting in the very front row on the left side. I noticed that the Minnie girl, the same chick that laughed at Gabe with that Marlon guy, sat behind me. She whispered something to one of her friends while staring up at me, smirking. I turned around and sat in my chair, placing my old leather bag underneath the metal chair. Minnie crossed her arms and legs, pursing her lips, while glaring at one of her friends.

With a quick glance around the room, I saw nobody else I knew.

Great, I'm stuck with someone who seems like they already hate me.

"Hey." A voice whispered behind me. I looked over my shoulder and noticed it was Minnie. Her short ginger hair was pulled back into a bun, making her green eyes pop under her thick layer of black eyeliner. The girl wore an over-sized grey band t-shirt which had holes in several areas. On top of her shirt was a dark green bomber jacket, which she had her hands in. She also wore a pair of baggy jeans, which also had holes around the knees, and a pair of old brown boots. A few girls sat next to her, eyeing me up and down, with a slight smirk planted on her face.

"Hi?" I whispered back.

"You're that new bitch that was talking to Gabe, right?" She raised her darkened eyebrows, "During second period... gym?"

I nodded, "Yeah."

Minnie snickered before sitting back in her seat, chewing on a piece of gum. I turned around further, confused, before directing my attention back to the front of the room. Omid whispered something into the ear of the guy sitting at the piano. The boy nodded and Omid walks towards the back of the room, a pile of papers in his hands, while the boy smiled widely.

His darkened eyes lit up as they scanned around the room, looking at his fellow classmates. Raising his fingertips off the piano keys, he tucked a few strands of his dreads behind his ear before they fell back in front of his face, neglecting his request. He ignored them, excited for what he had planned. He rested his hands back on the piano and began to play an upbeat song, causing the low chatter of a few students to fade away.

"I think we could use an upbeat song. Don't you guys?" The boy with dreads beamed but nobody replied. Regardless of the silence he received, he continued to play with a large smile on his face, unbothered by them. "I need you to stomp lightly for me, okay?"

He demonstrated the stomping with his foot as he continued to melody. The students began to stomp their feet and the boy nodded, smiling widely. I sat in my chair silently, afraid to participate. The boy looked around the room at everyone's feet, pleased to see everyone participating. Everyone but me. His eyes traveled up my legs before meeting my eyes. With a little reassuring nod from him, I decided to go along with it. I began to tap my right leg to the beat of everyone else, who was enjoying the beat, and smiled up at him. The boy smiled back.

The dreaded boy glanced down at the piano and bobbed his head to the beat of the beat. Resting his fingers back on the piano, began to play the song. It was familiar... almost too familiar.

"Oh my god!" Minnie laughed, "You're playing 'Africa' by Toto?! Give me a break!" The boy looked up and winked at her, a smirk forming on his face. Glancing back at the ginger; I saw how she rolled at his eyes and smiled back, continuing to stomp her feet like he asked her to do.

Lee would play this song all the time. It'd come on the radio or a CD he illegally burned for road-trips and would turn it up, banging his hands on the steering wheel, singing the lyrics. He'd mimic the drums and would try and do the background vocals, creating his own acapella version, but failing. AJ would join along, screaming the lyrics. Most of the time, I'd groan and cover my ears. But on the rare occasions, I would join along with them, making them happier and scream louder.

_I hear the drums echoing tonight_

_But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation_

_She's coming in, 12:30 flight_

_The moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation_

The boy's smooth voice sings over the piano he played. His head continued to bob with the peoples feet as he also tapped his own foot, using the other one to press the petals, and ran his rough fingers over the instrument. The choir mimics some of the notes that the boy plays on the piano, humming along to specific parts that he taps on the keys, which is repetitive throughout the entire song. I began to hum along.

"Badam da da dum dum dummm!" I sang with everyone else who focused on the skilled student, playing the piano for his class, as the teacher bobbed his head with a smile on his face, filling out paperwork behind us. The boy raised his head, noticing my voice blending in with the others and smiled at me, enjoying how I was already participating in the class.

_I stopped an old man along the way_

_Hoping to find some old forgotten words or ancient melodies_

_He turned to me as if to say, "Hurry boy, it's waiting there for you"_

Once the boy sang those words, he changed the tempo up and pressed more keys, making the chorus sound fuller than the verses and more powerful. Instead of sitting on the bench, playing the piano, he decided to stand up on the bench. The class gasped lightly before chuckling at him. He closed his eyes and flashed us a huge smile, squatting on the bench, while still playing. He swayed his body slightly, dancing to his own tune, while projecting his voice.

"Everybody!" He shouted before continuing the song.

_It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you_

_There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do_

_I bless the rains down in Africa_

_Gonna take some time to do the things we never had_

The entire class had joined him on the chorus. But, once it ended, he improvised a little, messing with the keys to create a new ending. Once the teacher stood up and began walking towards the front of the class, the boy smiled widely at him, wiggling his eyebrows, before sitting back down and pressing one final key. He ended the song. The entire class erupted into applauds as Mr. Jenkins rolled his eyes, a grin forming on his face, and shaking his head.

"Thank you, Louis, for the solo performance that nobody asked for."

"Always a pleasure, Mr. J!" The boy with dreads, who I assumed was Louis, beamed back. The teacher smiled at the boy before looking down at the pile of papers he carried in his arms. Mr. Jenkins walked over to me and handed a little packet of papers which consisted of several lyrics.

My anxiety and lack of motivation wasn't up for this shit.


	4. Chapter 4

"So, how was your first day?" My father, Lee, asked while shoving a slice of leftover pizza in his mouth. AJ sat at a little bar-island area that the kitchen had. He chewed on a slice of pizza while drawing in a sketchbook I had gotten him earlier that year. My father placed the slice on a paper plate before walking over to a box, pulling out some plates, and opening a cabinet to slide them in.

"Paradise." The sarcasm rolled off my tongue more harshly than I wanted it to.

"Well," my dad sighed, "do you want to talk about it?" I shook my head at him, refusing to answer. With his sad and tired eyes, he gave me a reassuring smile. I bit my lower lip and sighed, throwing my head back, before taking a deep breath. Ever since I was young, my dad and I made a promise to tell each other everything. It was after I accidentally broke my mother's expensive vase. I lied and said it fell by itself. I would've blamed AJ but this was before he was adopted. My mother got upset due to me lying and sent me to my room. Shortly after, my father came into the room. He cheered me up and we agreed to tell each other everything, no matter how large or small the situation is. It's brought us closer, most of the time.

Until mom died.

"I met a few people."

"Already making friends?!" My father beamed, "That's great!"

"I said I met them, not making friendship bracelets with them." I laughed and stood on my tip toes, putting a cup on a top shelf, before lowering myself back down. Lee smiled back before putting another plate on top of another, layering them in attempt to make more room for other plates. I picked another plate up and was about to put it away. But, something caught me off guard.

It was one of mom's collector plates.

She had an entire series of plates that she refused anyone to use. She only displayed them and told us to be careful around them. They were apparently her great-grandmothers and had been passed down by her family. They're very old yet beautiful. Each plate was white with a gold trimmed design on the outside and center of the place. In the center of each plate was a flower. From roses, lilies, and sunflowers... each plate looked unique even though they followed the same pattern.

My thumb rubbed over the gold paint on the plate. Due to how old the plate was, a tiny chip of the paint fell off, landing on our brand new floors. The little rose design in the center stared back at me, shining into my eyes as the sunset bounced off of it. The gold became a blurry mess as my grip tightened around it, trying my best not to let the water escape the dam.

"Clem," my father's gentle voice filled my ears, "I can handle that."

"No, no. I got it."

"Please." His voice was a gentle whisper, trying to soothe me. A warm tear rolled down my cheek, refusing to be held back. The drop of water went from my cheek before resting on my chin, dangling for a long moment, and falling off. Lee wrapped a protective arm around my shoulder and squeezed lightly, trying to comfort me. Instead, the tears fell harder. My eyes felt dry like a hot desert, despite the wet tears spilling out, which forced me to close them. This only caused the tears to roll further down. My bottom lip and chin quivered as I passed my father the plate. Lee set it onto a counter and wrapped his other arm around my shoulder. AJ's furious scribbling on his coloring book had stopped. The little boy looked at us and hopped off the stool, jogging over to us, and joining our hug.

My shaky breath barely got pass the lump in my throat, "I miss her so much."

"I know, sweetpea." Lee's grip tightened on me as his voice cracked, "I do, too."

**{-}**

Once again, I was lost in this huge ass school.

How hard was it to find one classroom? I rounded a few more halls before looking back down at my schedule. On it was a room number scribbled down. Today was the first group meeting. I got to get out a few classes for this, which was perfectly fine by me. I paused in front of a door and looked down at the scribbles on my paper. I got an email from the councilor mentioning the first meeting. I sighed and looked back at the door. It was one of the smaller conference rooms that the school had. I slowly opened the door.

Inside was a large about of people. About ten, if I counted correctly. They all sat in a circle as a rounded table sat in the middle. All heads turned towards me and my face flushed, embarrassed by the unwanted attention. I saw maybe three people I had already met. Or... kinda met. Sarah, who was smiling widely at me, waiting for me to move next to her. Violet, who glared out the window. The final person was the guy from music class yesterday. Louis, I think?

"Hey, new girl!" Sarah whispered, "Over here!" This caused all heads to turn towards me. I pursed my lips and walked over to Sarah, taking the empty seat beside her. Louis sat next to the councilor, who smiled at me, but I rejected her gaze. Violet was two seats down from Sarah, near the window, planning her escape. "I didn't know you'd be here! This is so exciting!"

"How?"

"I can be the answer to that." The female councilor said, interrupting our tiny conversation. "Welcome to the first group meeting! This group isn't specific. So, the topic won't always be about anxiety, depression, or other mental illness topics. Instead, it's just to rant, get it off your chest, and potentially seek further help if needed." The woman smiled and passed a stack of papers to the student next to her, who took one, before passing it over to Louis. The stack of papers continued around the circle of people. "I'm Dr. Stewart, a professional therapist that the school called in. You can call me Carley, if you'd like. We'll be having a group session once a week unless said otherwise."

Carley wore a black pantsuit with a purple button-up under it. Her hair stopped right at her shoulders. It was straight and a dark brown, which matched her eyes and makeup. Even though she was trying to seem friendly, she was still professional. Something I admired yet didn't like. If I was going to tell her and others what was on my mind, I would want it like we're friends, not colleagues. I don't want to feel like a patient.

"How?" Violet piped in.

"Excuse me?"

"You didn't answer Clem's question. How is this supposed to be exciting?" Violet broke her gaze from the window, gesturing over to me, before making eye-contact with the therapist. "Are we going to go on a field trip and have a nice bonding experience? Tell each others suicidal plans and elope in a group hug? Maybe jump off the building together?"

"Exc-"

Violet interrupted her, "Face it, lady. This won't be fun. It'll fucking suck, especially for you because you have to sit and listen to us bitch only to tell us when it'll get better. News flash; it doesn't!" Everyone in the group grew silent, glancing between Carley and Violet. Carley's jaw clenched before she forced a smile, it never meeting her eyes, as she tried to use a calming voice.

"If you wish to leave, you can. But, please don't make this a miserable experience for anyone."

"It's going to be miserable either way." Violet rolled her eyes, "Don't talk about our problems? They build up and get worse until we explode. If we do? A group of strangers knows our darkest shit and can use it against us."

"Violet, can you please just give it a chance." Louis interrupted. His expression was soft and serious which was the complete opposite of how he acted yesterday. Violet met his gaze, her blue eyes staring harshly into his brown ones, before she sighed. The blunt teen brushed the blonde hair from her face and nodded, keeping her gaze on the round wooden table.

I was clenching the stack of papers in my hands. I didn't notice that they came towards me and I picked them up. I tore my gaze away from Violet and cleared my throat, putting a paper onto the space in front of me, before passing them to Sarah. The once bubbly and talkative girl was silent and frozen. She stared at the table's patterns, re-carving them with her eyes, trying to block out the bickering. I raised my finger to her pastel sweater, tapping her shoulder lightly. Sarah blinked a few times before turning towards me, forcing a smile. I smiled back and handed her the stack of blank papers. She quickly took one and passed the pile to Violet. Violet had her arms folded over her chest, looking at her lap, biting her lower lip. The boy next to her slowly took the pile, leaving her a sheet, before passing it around the table until it reached Carley once more. Carley smiled at the boy before glancing around the room, noticing our silence.

"Alright! Let's get started!" Carley beamed and reached into a bag that was next to her chair. Inside, she pulled out some packages that held several colorful markers. Sarah's eyes lit up as she gasped, reaching across the table, noticing one that's pastel themed and fine tipped. I grabbed a random one and so did everyone else, not getting as excited as the young teen that sat next to me.

"I love crafts!" Sarah exclaimed excitedly.

"Great! We'll be doing a lot more in the future." Carley smiled back before taking the cap off of a purple marker. "I want you to write facts about yourself on one side. Then, on the back, what you wish to overcome. It can be simple such as a test at school or something bigger. The choice is up to you."

Sarah immediately began to write everything down. Louis, along with some of the other kids, were next. I followed after them. I wrote my name down, where I used to live, I was adopted, and that I used to play the violin. Violet fiddled with a black marker, trying to write something down, but she sat in silence. Biting her lip, she nervously glanced around the room. I flipped the to the back page and paused.

What do I write?

How I want to move past my mothers passing? Stop getting angry over the past? Settle into this new school? I gripped the marker tighter before writing down something.

"Alright, it's time!" Carley rolled the marker back onto the table where it met the rest that were in the middle. "I'll go first. My name is Carley. I have two cats and live in an apartment with them. I've been a therapist for the past five years and hope to help people overcome their problems. I want to overcome my fear of sharks."

Violet snickered, "Boring."

Carley glared over at the teen who had nothing written on her paper. Everyone gentle smiles dimmed as Violet smirked over at the woman, loving how annoyed she was getting.

"Well, why don't you go? You seem quite the chatterbox." Carley leaned back in her chair, "You must be _so_ excited to speak."

"Man, I would love to." Violet smirked and leaned forward, resting her elbows on the desk. "Name's Violet... and no that isn't my favorite color." The short-haired blonde teen glared over to the boy with dreads, who frowned at her response. "I like to skate, hang out with my friends, fuck my girlfriend, and not eat."

"Vio-" Carley's face dropped more but the girl cut her off.

"Did you hear that? Is that you and this school wanted to hear? How I hate eating?" Violet rummaged through her bag and slid an empty chip bag across the table. A few crumbs came out which mixed into the sea of markers that were clumsily left around the table. "This is why I'm fucking here, isn't it?! Because you guys think I have some eating disorder, right?"

"Violet, please calm-"

"Calm down?!" Violet let out a breathless laugh while raising her eyebrows. "I do _not_ have a fucking problem! This damn school and their students have a problem; accusing shit on people and having them get asked millions of questions and forced to join a stupid-shitty-fucking group that won't help anyone!" The blonde's face was reddened with anger, she grabbed the chip bag and shook it, holding it above her mouth. She dumped the rest of the crumbs into her mouth and swallowed. With a large smile on her face, but fury still burning in her eyes, she stuck her tongue out to show it was all gone. "See?! I fucking ate that shit! I don't deserve to be here."

"Violet, I know you're upset." Carley began, "But, I was told by several people that right after lunch, you'd run to the bathroom. They heard you making yourself sick and-"

"Listen to this bullshit!" Violet pointed to Carley. Her voice raised higher with an angered growl, "She's telling you shit that isn't true and you all are going to believe it, telling others false shit!"

"If it's false, then why are you crying?"

Violet was standing up, leaning over the rounded desk. Tears of anger rolled down her cheeks as her chest heaved, nostrils flaring, as her cheeks remained a dark shade of red. She was angered and embarrassed. Violet raised her short and black painted nails to her cheek, noticing the tears that had escaped her tear ducts. The angered teen clenched her fist and rubbed her face, smearing the tears over her face, trying to hide the evidence. But, it was too late. Everyone saw it.

"I-I'm n-n-not... I'm not sick!" The girl stuttered, lowering her gaze to the desk.

"Nobody said you were." Carley's voice was sweet again, "We're here to help you, Violet." The teen remained standing. Her jaw clenched as she sighed loudly, closing her teary eyes, more drops of water falling from them. Louis offered her a sympathetic smile as she reopened her eyes, staring up at them. He nodded and she nodded back, sitting back down next to Sarah. "Good. Now, why doesn't someone else share?"

"I will!" Sarah yelled while extending her hand up. The excited and innocent teenager holds her paper up and cleared her throat, ready to present. Most of the teens within the group sighed and rolled their eyes, probably knowing how much the girl talks. Violet kept her gaze on the table, not reacting to anything, while Louis and I payed attention to the happy girl. "My name is Sarah and I'm eighteen. I love to draw and sing. I also love helping my father out whenever I can, he's a doctor and it can be hard on him. I was told I might have anxiety and ADHD. But, I haven't been diagnosed them. I know I talk a lot and go off topic sometimes, but that could also be because of anxiety. I get nervous whenever I speak to a crowd. I guess I want to figure out whatever I have, if I do, and learn to cope with it."

"It does sound like social anxiety." Carley shrugged.

"Yeah!" Sarah smiled, "My dad just says I'm excitable."

"Well, he's right about that, too." Carley smiled back at the girl before looking around the group. "Well, what about you?" I raised my head off of Sarah's colorful paper and looked around the room. Everyone was staring at me. My cheeks grew rosy as I made eye-contact with Carley, who's smile grew wider, trying to reassure me. "I figured that it started with Violet and moving towards the left, you could go next."

"Okay." My fucking voice cracked. This only deepened my blush as I stared down at the paper. I swallowed hard before bringing the blue-colored paper closer to me. From the corner of my eye, I could see Sarah smile over at me, trying to reassure me like Carley did. If anything, it made me slightly more nervous. "I'm Clementine. I just moved here and I'm a sophomore. I used to play the violin-"

"Wait, you used to play an instrument?"

Louis, the boy with long dreads who gave the piano performance the other day, interrupted me.

I nodded, "Yes."

"Damn, you're into music?" Louis smiled before leaning back into his chair, "I thought love-at-first-sight only existed in fantasy movies."

"Okay, okay!" Carley rolled her eyes at the flirtatious boy, who smirked over at me. Violet sighed heavy and shook her head at him, where he winked back at her. Violet turned her head, clearly annoyed at the boy, while folding her arms. "Please continue, Clementine."

"Well, the key word was used to. Meaning that I did in the past." Louis' smile dimmed, "I just moved here and my dad signed up for this group. He thought it'd be a way to cope with moving here and other things."

"Other things?" Carley's brows knitted together. My slight smile vanished as I looked down at my paper, following the shapes of scribbled letters, wanting to ignore her. After a moment of silence, Carley nodded. "Hey, that's fine! We can go back to that subject later. Would anyone else like to go?"

"I volunteer!"

"Oh god, kill me!"

"Violet, please!" Carley hissed while closing her eyes. "Go ahead, Louis."

"Thank you." Louis rested his right arm on the other chair, using it as an arm rest, before smiling around the room. "My name is Louis. Yes, like the King Louis' and Louis Daguerre. Anyways, I love making people smile and laugh. I also enjoy music! I intern for Mr. Jenkins, helping him teach lessons and grade homework... all that jazz." Louis' charming smile fell as his wide eyes became hooded, "My parents divorced years ago. I was the cause of it... I know that for a fact. I'm hoping this will help me get through that time."

"I hope it does, too." Carley rested her hand on his shoulder and smiled. Louis forced a smile back but it didn't reach his eyes. Carley looked up at the clock and sighed, "Well, that's all the time we have today. Next time, we can go around some more and maybe we'll have a new activity we can do."

"Will it involve crafts?!" Sarah beamed.

"You never know!"


	5. Chapter 5

"Do you really think these are chicken nuggets?" Gabe inspects the crispy chicken oval-shaped nugget before sniffing it. Sarah giggles at him and rolls her eyes. The boy with the beanie dips the nugget into ketchup and pops it into his mouth. After a few seconds, he nods with a slight shrug. "Well, it doesn't taste like poison."

"Just wait until the laxatives settle in." Gabe's big brown eyes meet mine as his mouth gaped open in shock. I smirked and winked at him, sticking a french fry into my mouth. The boy opens his mouth wider, dropping the mushed chicken out of his mouth, earning a groan in disgust by Sarah and I. Gabe laughed at us before taking a napkin, collecting the mushed food, and wrapping it inside. He twists his body backwards and tosses the napkin. It lands inside of the trashcan. Gabe, with a huge smile on his face, claps his hands before extending them in the air in victory.

"You're so gross!" Sarah exclaimed while snubbing her nose, putting her fork in the plastic container that was filled with salad her father prepared for her. Suddenly, a boy plops next to her, he rubbed the top of Sarah's head, messing her dark wavy hair up. The boy reached across the table to high five Gabe, who smiled back and greeted him. The boy's slapped each others hands a few times before doing a fist bump, wiggling their fingers in slow motion as they parted ways. It must've been some handshake they had for a while. The boy had dark brown hair, which was almost in a buzz cut, large ears, and light skin. A light spread of freckles danced across his cheeks, which were raised highly due to the smile he had. He turned towards me, a slight toothy grin slipping out of his mouth.

"Who's this?" The boy asked.

"This is Clementine!" Sarah gestured towards me, "She moved here from Alabama."

"Near Alabama." I corrected.

"Cool! My name is Duck."

"Duck?"

"Yeah, my original name is Kenny, named after my father." Duck shrugged before stealing one of Gabe's chicken nuggets, popping it into his mouth. "I used to talk a lot whenever I was a kid. Apparently my voice would go so high and squeaky as if I was a duck." I snickered at him and he smiled back, enjoying my laugh. His shoulders, which was hid under his red flannel, relaxed as he took a deep sigh. "Sorry I wasn't here. Dad insisted I pretend to be sick to help him out."

"Duck's dad has a fishing store." Sarah commented, leaning over to me, as if she was whispering the information.

"Sure does! We got bait, fish we caught ourselves, gear, and more that you didn't think you needed!" Duck exclaimed with a huge smile spreading across his face. "Do you or your dad fish?"

"My dad and little brother do."

"You should try it sometime! Tell him to swing by our store and I can give you a discount." Duck raises his left hand before crossing his heart with his right index finger, making an 'x' shape, closing his eyes. "Scouts honor, seriously."

"Alright, enough of the fuckin' advertisement." Gabe reached across and smacked the side of Duck's head. The two boys laughed at each-other as Duck slapped Gabe's hand away, almost hitting Sarah, which made her flinch. My gaze drifted away from them and towards the other side of the cafeteria. Near a large glass window sat rounded table, similar to ours, but with different people. At the table was Marlon, Minnie, Violet, and Louis.

Marlon was chatting to Louis about who-knows-what. Minnie and Violet kept to themselves, ignoring the boys, and holding each-other in those passionate embraces that couples do that look like they're stuck together and depressed. It's like a hug but not quite and they're not saying or doing anything, just holding one another. It was weird, honestly. Louis was looking over at Marlon, paying attention to what he was saying.

That was until he saw me staring at him.

Louis did a double take, glancing at Marlon before locking his eyes with mine. I blinked rapidly before turning my head away. But, from the corner of my eye, I could see the boy lean forward. He rested his elbow on the wooden table, a red apple in hand, with a smirk on his face. With Marlon still yapping in his ear, he bit into the apple. The red skin broke off making the cold and juicy apple's juice travel down his chin. He licked his lips, a wink following it, before taking another bite. Whenever he pulled away from the apple, he rubbed his rough thumb across his bottom lip, wiping the juice off, before licking it.

That mother-fucker!

My face grew red and he noticed, smiling to himself before chuckling. He tossed the apple into the air before catching it, biting into it normally, and placing it back down on his tray.

"Keep staring, it'll last longer."

I gasped as hot breath trickled against my ear. Whipping my head around, I saw Violet walking away before sitting next to Gabe. She grabbed one of the nugget and tossed it into her mouth, chewing. So, was everything she said at the meeting true? That she does eat? I shook the thought off and poked at my food, not that hungry anymore, mainly due to my nerves. I never moved before and it was weird not being on the same level as this group of friends.

"Won't Minnie get mad that you're over here?" Gabe whispered over at Violet. The pair glanced back at at Violet's original table to see Minnie had disappeared.

"What's there to get mad at if she isn't around?"

"Why would she get upset?" I piped in, causing the two friends to look my way. Gabe and Violet looked at each-other before shifting their weight towards me. "I mean, if you two are dating... right? Why would she get upset about your friend group? If anything, you two can come together and form a larger one."

"Okay, listen here, peace maker." Violet bent her leg and rested her heel on the bench, resting her left arm on her knee, as she glared daggers into my soul. "I wasn't talking to you. Gabe's full attention was on me. I know you're desperate to make friends but you need to know your place, okay? That means stay out of _my_ business and my _girlfriends_, unless I tell you that information, myself."

By now, Sarah and Duck had stopped their tiny conversation to grow silent. Violet flashed me a forced smile before glaring at me once more, proving that it was fake and sarcastic. I glared back as she continued to stare at me, standing up from the table, and walking away.

Duck whispered, "Minnie hates us."

"Duck!" Gabe shouted.

"Well, she deserves to know if she's going to hang around us!" Duck argued back, gesturing towards me as his voice went higher than normal. "Minnie is... something. She dresses and acts like a punk-rock star yet she still does cheer and other preppy clubs. She's basically one of the most popular girl's in school due to her uncle being the principal and shit."

"Lobster Dick Jenkins." Gabe giggled.

"What?"

"His face gets so red whenever he gets upset, making him look like a lobster." Sarah explained to me before giggling with Gabe, "Plus, he's just a dick!"

"Okay, kids." Duck rolled his eyes at the two friends who's laughter grew. "Just because she's the niece of our principal doesn't mean shit! But, to her and others, it means she's basically best friends with the President. It's bullshit!"

"Why does she hate you guys?" I asked and took a sip of the milk the school forced me to get.

"Simple; she thinks we're freaks... or at least something among that sort." Gabe rolled his eyes, "Even though I've been friends with her for years, that doesn't mean anything to Minnie. She thinks that since her and Violet are dating, that means she has complete control over her. Violet is too shy to stand up to her."

Shy? After the way she stood up to me and Carley in the group session? I find that hard to believe.

I looked over my shoulder, to where Violet stormed off, to see her exiting the bathroom. Minnie was right behind her, rubbing her back, and offering her a gentle smile. I squinted my eyes as Minnie's comforting gaze changed, glaring daggers into my soul. Her jaw clenched as she tucked a strand of fallen red hair behind her ear, rolling her cold green eyes at me. Violet wiped her eyes and nose, shivering slightly under Minnie's comforting touch. The red head broke her gaze from mine and stomped off, her boots echoing down the hall of the high school. Violet watched her grumpy lover stomp off from her, confused to why she was suddenly upset when she was comforting her seconds ago. Violet's blue eyes scanned around the cafeteria, where everyone ignored her.

Everyone but me.

Her blue orbs met my golden ones and they widened, noticing me staring at her. She gulped before wiping her mouth, shivering slightly as she closed her mouth. Her skin was paler than normal and she seemed weaker, as if she just got sick.

Wait a minute, did she make herself sick?

Right when I thought about the group session meeting, Violet turned with a saddened expression, following after her girlfriend. I slowly turned back around and raised my head, looking between Duck and Sarah. Over their shoulders were Louis. His eyes traveled with Violet's thin body before she rounded the corner, where he could no longer track her. He had a saddened expression on his face. Looking down at his tray, he blinked several times before turning back to Marlon, who was still chatting in his ear. He forced a smile and pretended to be invested in his conversation, whatever it happened to be.


	6. Chapter 6

Stupid fish.

Stupid river.

Stupid song that kept blasting in my ear drums.

AJ and my dad sang happily in the car as I rubbed my temple, annoyed at their cheery voices. My dad had a bright idea to take us fishing. Why? I don't know and still don't. He said that he, his parents, and brother used to go on family vacations all the time. By that, he meant either fishing or going to the movies. I'd rather see a movie than get dirt on me. I don't consider myself a girly girl, as I don't wear much makeup or pink dresses, but I don't consider myself a tom-boy either. I'm in the middle, I guess? I'll wear light makeup but I prefer hoodies and cargo pants over a skirt and heels. When needed, I can clean up well. But I'd rather keep things simple and casual.

AJ reached the high note of a song and my dad laughed, banging his hands on the steering wheel lightly, mimicking the drums of the song. I glanced over and rolled my eyes, a slight smile forming on my face. My father noticed my little smile and turned his head, smiling back, while continuing the lyrics. That was until he turned into a parking lot, pulling up to an old building which was as old as dirt.

"Are we here?" AJ looked around.

"Yep!" Lee beamed, "Let's hope that the old man still runs it."

"... and if he doesn't?"

"Then we're paying full price." Lee grumbled as he unfastened his seat belt, taking the key out of the ignition, and opening his door. I opened the passenger door and slipped out before opening up the back door, helping my little brother. AJ ran right past and up to Lee, where the older man smiled at the little boy, grabbing his hand. The three of us walked into the little building to find only a few customers inside. One looked like a hillbilly and the other was a truck driver.

Our people!

"What does this man look like?" I asked as I grimaced at a worm that slithered on a mini fridge, almost gagging at the sight.

"Long hair, weird mustache, wears a-"

"Well, I'll be damned." We all turned around to see a middle aged man, dirt all over his shirt, and his hands coated in a light pink liquid. The crows feet around his eyes had sunken further in as his mustache and beard parted, exposing a large smile. The man wore a worn-out brown cap that also had some dirt on it. "Well, if it isn't Lee Everett, high school's heart throb."

"Yeah right!" Lee extended his arms outwards, "It's good to see you, Kenny."

"Uhh..." Kenny looked down at his shirt and hands, flashing Lee a smirk.

"Never-mind."

Kenny laughed, "It's no biggie, but it's good to see you too, pal." Kenny walked behind the register and pulled a towel underneath the desk, wiping off his bloody hands. "God it's been about... twenty years since we last saw each other."

"Now you're making me feel old!"

"You're old?!" Kenny's brows raised, "Shit I must be fuckin' ancient!" Towards Kenny's left, a door creaked open. A boy, who was slightly taller than I was, was looking down as he wiped his hands off. Kenny beamed and grabbed him by the shoulder, pulling him close. "This here is my son, Duck! Don't be shy, boy."

"Hey." Duck grumbled. My eyes traveled from Kenny's old beard to the boy's face. Duck! It was Duck! I should've known since he mentioned his dad owned some fishing store. It didn't click right away. My facial expression changed with Duck's as his mouth dropped, meeting eye contact with me. "Oh hey, Clementine! I didn't think you'd actually show up."

"Wait," my father's brows knitted together, "you two know each other?"

"Yeah, we met today." Kenny and Lee exchanged a look. They tried to hide their smiles but their eyes said otherwise. The two older friends smirked at each other before glancing between Duck and I. Duck, AJ, and I glanced between the two men with confused faces. "What?!"

"Oh, nothing." Kenny smiled and Lee looked away, smirking to himself.

"So, is Katjaa still around?" Kenny's smile dimmed and so did Duck's. The teenage boy's freckled face turned to the floor, which also had stains from the dirty shoes they wore. Kenny grew silent as he stared at Lee, shaking his head.

"She died when Duck was born."

"Shit," Lee sighed, "I'm so sorry."

"It's fine." Kenny rubbed the tip of his shoe against a grey tile, scrubbing off some dirt, only to cause more to form. "She was a great woman and mother, even if she didn't experience it for long. I also heard about your wife, I'm sorry Lee." Duck caught my gaze but I turned away, a slight burning forming in my cheeks. Not due to embarrassment. Maybe... anger? Lee nodded and shoved his hands in his jeans pocket.

"So, are we going to get some bait or something?" I interrupted, keeping my gaze anywhere than their eyes.

"Well, now thinking about it." Lee smirked before turning towards me. "It looks like Kenny and Duck have a handful. Maybe, since you don't want to fish, you could help them out?"

"Hell yeah!" Kenny beamed, "It's normally ran by us two, but we could appreciate the helping hands."

"I'll handle the worms, don't worry." Duck flashed me a smile before nudging the side of my arm with his. I rolled my eyes at the boy, who only smiled wider, winking at me. "If anything, you'd stock the poles and shelves."

"Yeah, we don't find much time to do that." Kenny took off his hat for a second, rubbing the top of his sweaty head, before placing the cap back down. "Hell, I'll pay you if you'd like. We're pretty desperate at this point. What do you say?" Everyone looked at me. I kept my gaze to the floor before turning towards Duck. The cheerful boy had his hands clasped together, bottom lip out, and batting his eyelids, as if he begged me to stay.

"If I get one worm on me, I'm suing this place."

"It's a deal!" Duck shouted before running behind the counter, fetching a brown hat that was similar to his fathers.

* * *

**AN: Sorry if this chapter is short/boring. The last few weeks have been hectic and the next few weeks will too. I went to prom but a fellow classmate of mine passed away, which has been hard on everyone. I have final projects and my math grade is low :)))**

**I'm also graduating in a few weeks but visiting family right afterwards for... you guessed it... two weeks. So, if I don't update often (or if the chapters are trash), I apologize and hope I can make it up in the future. Thanks!**

**PS: I've also been playing a lot of Papa's Hot Doggeria. I'm literally five years old :)))**


	7. Chapter 7

"Welcome aboard, matey!" Duck placed the brown cap, which matched his fathers, onto my head. I grumbled as it squeezed against my skull, clinging tightly, but also trying to escape my curly hair. Duck's smile widened as my face dropped further, giving him a glare. He laughed before patting me on the shoulder. "It ain't that bad! All we're gonna have you do is run the register and stock the shelves. You down for that?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not really." Duck shrugs before handing me a key, "This is to the back room. We have tons of stuff that needs to be stocked again." The key was silver with some parts rusty, due to the clumsy father and son, while faint scratches covered the entire surface. I slipped the key into my front pocket and nodded. "My dad and I are almost done skinning some fish."

"I thought you just sold poles and stuff?"

"We do!" Duck exclaimed, "But with the festival coming up soon, we'll have our own stand. We're selling cooked food, mainly fish, and advertising this place."

"What festival?"

"Oh, right... you're still new." Duck chuckled to himself before walking behind the counter. Beside the register was a stack of papers. He grabbed one and held it up, clearing his voice, with a large smile on his face. "Macon's Starlight Festival is proud to present Kenny's Fishing CO as a sponsorship! They'll help fund the food and rides, making it family friendly to everyone!"

"Can your dad really afford that?"

"Nope." Duck smirked, "But it'd be a good reputation and spread of word. We'd sell some of our stuff and cooked fish, giving everyone a good impression." The goofy-grinned teenage boy explained while pointing at the flyer. "My dad could cook the fish, I'd advertise, and you'd wear that pretty smile on your face."

"Did you just call me pretty?"

Duck smirked, "Well, if the shoe fits." The boy shrugged before turning his attention back down, "But seriously. It'd be a good opportunity. More customers equals you get more pay." The boy with the slight gap between his teeth met my gaze once more, "So.. is it a plan?"

I rolled my eyes, "Sure."

"Great!" Duck exclaimed as his grin spread wider.

"Only one condition." I folded my arms across my chest. Duck's huge smile dimmed as his curious eyes searched over the expression on my face. I raised one arm to my head and slipped the brown cap off, handing it to the boy. "I need a better hat."

The boy held up his index finger, silently telling me to wait, before grabbing the hat. He jogged towards the back of the store, swinging a door open, and reaching into a box. Inside were several caps. Some with their own logos and some without. The teenager pulled out a blue and white cap, smiling down at it, before pulling out a marker from his back pocket. Right above the bill was a white exposed area. The farmer and fisher-boy ripped the cap off the marker and sketched something on the pure fabric.

"Here we go!" Duck threw the marker across the room before walking up to me. He extended his arm, shoving the cap towards my chest. A dark brown streak was already across the blue bill, ruining it's mint condition. The soil and fish blood had created a layer on his arm which also marked the cap. I snubbed my nose at the sight before my gaze went towards the big letter he had written on the white area.

"What does the 'D' stand for?"

"Duck's gloomy assistant who could rip a fish's head off with her bare hands!" The boy beamed at my raised eyebrow, "I couldn't fit it all on the cap, so I just figured... 'D'... you know? Like if someone asks a question and you don't know the answer, you could just reply with; 'Ask the little D'!"

"Little 'd'..." I joked.

"Shut up!" Duck shoved my elbow with his fingertips, causing a gentle laugh to escape my lips.

* * *

**AN: Sorry it took forever to update! A LOT has been going on! I graduated, for starters. Then I went to visit family for two weeks and didn't bring my laptop. I swear I haven't forgotten this story. Life's been a little crazy but I think I'll be able to update more! Sorry if this chapter was short, too. :/**


	8. Chapter 8

"...and that's how Abraham Lincoln, one of our most beloved Presidents, got assassinated." Luke drew a circle around Lincoln's name before scribbling it out, indicating that he was no longer important. Violet, who sat towards my right, pretended to snore loudly, which caused a few giggles escalate around the room. Sarah, who sat left of me, glared over at the short haired blonde, glaring at her.

"Violet!" The girl hissed, brows overlapping her purple rimmed glasses, annoyed at the other teen.

"What? We've known this since second grade."

"Okay, then. Violet," Luke called out, causing the three of us to turn towards the older man, "would you like to teach the class?"

"No."

"Then I suppose you should teach me during lunch hours." With that, Luke walked over to his large wooden desk and opened a drawer. Violet's smirk went into a frown as he pulled out a slip of paper, scribbling over it, and putting it off to the side.

"Oh no! Miss Violet has lunch detention!" A short red-haired girl teased, looking at Violet over her shoulder.

"Shut it you fuckin' fat pig!" Violet slammed her fists against her wooden desk, causing it to rattle from the sudden disturbance. The whole room grew quiet as Violet's face turned from red to pink; angry to embarrassed. A couple students from the front of the room giggled and whispered to each other, most likely making fun of Violet, the red-haired girl, or both of the students.

"Violet." Luke closed his eyes, sighing deeply, before reopening to them. "Please make this easy for the entire class and go to the office."

"Yes, Luke."

* * *

"...Then she just kinda snapped!" Sarah explained to Duck, extending her fingers out of her clenched fists, as if she was imitating fireworks. Duck's brows widened at Sarah's story of what happened a few hours prior. But, I wasn't paying attention. At Minnie and Marlon's table sat a distracted Louis. He held a fork in-between his index finger and thumb, poking at some peas, a glaze over his eyes.

"Hello?! Earth to Clementine?" Duck waved his hand in front of my eyes, snapping me out of my thoughts. I turned my head towards the pair and gave them a gentle smile. "What do you think about Violet's outburst?"

"Maybe she's just having a bad day?"

"Yeah, no shit." Duck rolled his eyes, "But it's rare for her to burst like that in the middle of class. Normally its at lunch or after school. She tries to keep her cool around the staff."

"Like I said, bad day." I rolled a shrug off my shoulders which resulted in Duck sighing at me. "I'm going to take a shit."

Without another word, I left my dumbfounded friends by themselves. I walked the main halls of this damn school, looking for something better to do than gossip. That's when I found myself outside of Luke's door. The teacher had left the door halfway open, letting people listen and see what he was up to. Remembering about Violet's sudden outburst from earlier, I raised on my tip toes, looking in the back of the room for the young girl.

She wasn't there.

I shifted my eyes towards the left, where Luke's desk was, and saw him sitting at his desk. Right next to him was a young woman with short hair. Recognizing the over-sized clothes and choppy hair; I realized it was Violet.

The young teen sat straight in her chair, which she rarely does, her fists clenched on her thighs. Luke leaned over to her, brows knitting together as his expression was soft, whispering something to the anxious teen. I took a step closer, trying to hear them better without getting caught.

"You can't keep doing this..." Luke's raised his voice slightly before lowering it back more, trailing off to a whisper. Violet nodded her head before raising her black nail to her eye, catching a tear before it fell. "You promised me you would stop."

"I'm sorry." The blonde choked out.

"I am too." Luke's slightly stern face fell as his voice choked, caring deeply for his student. He swirls his chair around and scoots over to his computer, where an apple waited for him. I'm sure Sarah gave it to him before class. He threw the apple into the air before catching it, rolling over to Violet, and placing it on the desk.

Luke continued; "Just one bite, please. You don't have to swallow. I just want to know you have something in you." He slid it close to the girl who's hands began to tremble. From several feet away, I could still see her wrists and knees shake like a scared puppy. Violet broke out into a sob and lowered her head, trying to hide herself from the older man. Violet's hand stopped trembling for a second before the red fruit bounced onto the floor as Violets hand struck it. It rolled behind her and into the hall, right where I was standing. I quickly hid behind out of sight, holding my breath, and turning to walk away. This entire situation wasn't my business.

But I knew that Violet needed more help than Luke.

* * *

**AN: Sorry for being away for a month! I've been pretty lazy and forgot about writing for a while lol. I hope everyone's summer is going good! I also hope I can let this story breathe once again ahahaha! :)**


	9. discontinued

Hey guys.

I hate to announce but this story will be deleted. I completly lost inspiration and thought this story would help me with my own mental health struggles. Instead, it's done the total opposite. I will of course keep this up and if anyone wants to know what I planned to happen (or take over the story on THEIR account), I'll be happy to message you a summary of what happens next and such.

Just because I'm "done" with this story doesn't mean I'm done with this fandom! I've decided I'm going to write my second real-life novel on here as a fanfic first, just to get the ideas out. It'll take place in an AU (similar to this one) that zombies don't exist. The characters won't be on the edge of teenage years. They'd be about 12 - 14. So Louis, Violet, and Clem would be around 13 instead of how they are in the final season. Some characters will be the same (such as Sarah) while some may not exist (AJ).

It'll be a tough story but nothing that I will personally relate too. This story will be about murder and solving it. Not an innocent Scooby Doo type either.

I'm so sorry I had to announce this but I hope that any future stories will make up for it.

_ps. the story's title will be called "Happy Death Day" and no, it doesn't have to do with the horror movie._


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